Jeremy VanGelder

This stove was built for circulation around the outside of the firebox. There is a line of fans under it, forcing air behind and over the stove. It has some interesting fins inside. I am wondering if they held a grate in place? I usually think of grates as a waste of space. Without a grate there is room for more wood. But maybe elevating the fuel gave it more access to oxygen?

I cleaned the chimney today. And I cleaned the old insert. I like to understand the things I am getting rid of. And this thing has a fascinating story.  It is an Alpha-1. The first time I searched for "Alpha-1 fireplace insert" nothing useful came up. But I tried again today and there was this result:

The Alpha-1 fireplace insert is a vintage wood-burning heating unit invented by J. Darrel Johnson in the early 1980s (often associated with the Lewiston and Clarkston area of the Pacific Northwest).

Key Details

• Design Concept: Unlike standard air-tight wood stoves that restrict airflow to make wood smolder, the Alpha-1 was designed to burn hot and fast with plenty of air to consume organic vapors before they could escape up the chimney.
• EPA Certification Status: Because it burned too quickly and lacked a traditional closeable draft control to slow down combustion, the Alpha-1 was not able to pass standard U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions certifications.

Interesting. That sounds a bit similar to to Matt Walker's experience at the wood stove competition.

This one has a damper to close the outlet. But the air control for the inlet has about an 1/8" of clearance along the whole top of the door even when it is closed down. This was a source of frustration for my siblings who lived here before. So they used that piece of square tube steel to wedge it shut.

It does smoke back on occasion, so they wanted to stop that.

I know a couple who heat with a wood stove. That was working out. Then the husband had an accident and broke his legs. That next year, the wife was in charge of getting all the firewood they needed to heat the house. It would have been a lot easier for them if they didn't so much firewood.

That is a big hugel. How did it grow this year?

I remember that Paul has said that he wouldn't build anymore systems smaller than 6 inches at his place. He's been saying that for years, well before they released these plans. So I think it is at least a 6 inch system. Hey! I have access to these plans because I supported that kickstarter. Let me check...

Yes, it is a 6 inch system. It uses a 5 minute riser, not fiberboard. But I imagine that fiberboard would work. Would it be strong enough to hold up to loose pea gravel against it? I don't know.

Post 10 is another one of my favorites. He lives somewhere in the NE US and he clears flooded streets for fun.

This youtuber is restoring fire lookouts!

Thanks for the videos, Andrew! I just watched this one:

Coydon Wallham wrote:How arbitrary and used are the "living room" and "dining room" designations?

They are pretty accurate. But the dining room has a door out to a deck in the back yard. The back yard has the wood shed 75 feet away. So I think Peter is right that it makes the most sense to build a shorty in the dining room side.

I am a bit hazy on the difference between a vortex stove of the type that Fox has been building and the Shorty that Thomas has been building. Are they almost the same thing?

I'll see if I can get some pictures from the one open fireplace that is in the house. We finished the renovations and move, but that was a heavy lift. I don't want to start another house project quite yet. On the other hand, I do want to start a fall project. It makes more sense to build this than to rebuild a truck that has been sitting around.

It seems to me that a lot of prepping (not all, but a lot of it) is just an alternative form of consumerism. "But this food now, before food runs out. Pay your utility bills ahead (by buying propane or solar panels) so you don't have to worry about shortages." And, yes, they have a point. It is far better to have a full gas tank before you need to evacuate from a flood or wildfire. It's better to have food stored than to try to buy it during a panic. But I have been listening to survival videos like this one:



I agree with her weather predictions. My area experienced a very mild winter this year. That was followed by a very mild summer. I expect a cold and stormy winter. But her recommendations are to just pay your bills early by buying propane or gas. Okay, how about building a rocket mass heater? Pull the plug on heating bills entirely. How about building a chicken coop? I think the Permies approach to preparedness is better.